Experimental Diary

A running log of what experimental life in the lab actually looks like — written for students curious about what this kind of work involves day to day.

This is not a regular blog, and there is no fixed schedule. I simply write something when there is an experiment, a problem, a small success, or an experience that feels worth sharing.

Experimental research is often presented through polished figures, successful experiments, and published results. The reality is usually much messier — and, in many ways, much more interesting. There are experiments that work beautifully, experiments that fail for reasons you cannot immediately explain, equipment that refuses to cooperate, long hours of troubleshooting, and moments when something finally works after weeks of frustration.

In this diary, I want to share some of those experiences as they happen: what working in an experimental lab is actually like, what I find frustrating, what I find exciting, what I learn from things going wrong, and the small moments that make the work rewarding.

New here? Start with Introducing Our Experimental Facility for a first tour of the pump room and vacuum chamber where all of this happens.